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Force interview and spec motors

2K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  John I. 
#1 ·
Force went to Daytona, and the media made quite a fuss out of him being there. There's one drag racer that's almost as famous a the big NASCAR guys!
http://www.nhra.com/content/news/18474.htm

I see he's building a "Nhra spec Ford engine". Big deal.
A 4.80 bore spaced, 35 and 21 degree valved, 5.400 cam centerlined Chrysler Hemi with Ford valve covers. I can hardly sleep at nights... :lol:
 
#3 ·
Forces shop

I have been in his shop and they have the machines and the capability to make whatever they want. Just have to get it by NHRA first.
 
#4 ·
I have to tell you guy's that NHRA Is really scared in some ways of the big teams that have been around awhile. they have more corperate sponcer money then they do. First the Boss motor was brought to NHRA's attention by Walt Austin but they shot him down. Now Force has been working the deal and now has FORD's involement and he's say's it coming. Sure is strange how all these years force was a chevy guy and now that FORD's behind him these things are happening


Ace
 
#5 ·
hey u guys this is a ford engine, the new head has already been oked by nhra, it will be all ford, not dodge with a ford cover, ford ask john a while back .............

hey lets put a ford in ur ford ,and john said sure lets do it........
 
#6 ·
I dunno, if it's got narrower bore centers, and Chrysler valve angles, how Ford is it? I'm not doubting Ford or Force's sincerity, it's NHRA's Spec rules on fuel motors.
Page 175 of the 2007 rule book states in part...
Maximum 500 cid, minimum 490 cid, maximum bore spacing 4.80 inches; maximum cam centerline 5.400 inches, maximum 2 valves per cylinder. Only one cylinder head design is acceptable:
Intake valve angle of 35 degrees, + or - 1 degree
Exhaust valve angle of 21 degrees, + or - 1 degree

Did Force get the rules changed?
 
G
#7 ·
Lets face it, their ain't a factory production part on any "pro" race cars any more and a far as a HEMI is concerned its wasn't even developed by Chrysler they purchased the design after Ford turned the guy down. Its all in what stickers are one the Carbon Fiber Body that set the Brand !!!!
 
#10 ·
dfree383 said:
...as far as a HEMI is concerned its wasn't even developed by Chrysler they purchased the design after Ford turned the guy down.
Hemispherical combustion chambers existed before and were successfully run on internal combustion engines long before any american car makers created such an engine. They were successfully run in road racing in Europe (primarily Italian makes) in the pre-WWII era, at least.

The American makes brought about its hemi's in the post war era. In a rather "twisted" way, hemi heads appeared with "credit" to all three makers. Chrysler offered the first mass production american V8 hemi in 1951; Ardun made his hemi heads available for the Ford flathead V8 initially, and at about the same time as Chrysler. (I haven't the faintest who might have had their motor running first...I speculate Chrysler.) But--and get this--the Ardun Ford flathead hemi heads are the brainchild of Zora Arkus-Duntov, who as we all know was hired by GM and is the father of the chebby corvette.

In regards to John Force's development engine: this is a gray area for me, too, but I believe that what is being discussed here on this thread is the engine that was shut down by the NHRA after they caught wind of what Walt Austin, Force & Ford(?) were attempting...about 2-3 years ago.

And as far as I know, the last non-Chrysler based, non-hemi funny car to ever make a pass at an NHRA event was a Ford powered funny car built by Van Heskett. And as I understand it, the NHRA was not happy about the non-Chrysler engined car being there.

Paul
 
#12 ·
Why not indeed! It's just getting nhra to do it. Right now one head is legal.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just not as excited as I would be if it was a 4.90, twisted valve, real Boss 429.
A friend of mine runs a 525" Shotgun in an alcohol funny car. This was the real deal - CC block, Indy heads, screw blower, dual mags, 3 speed etc. I say "was" because he can't run it in nhra anymore after they banned it. From what I understand about the Walt Austin thing, they were planning on making the engine with 4.90 bore centers, (to allow thicker cylinders)but keeping the rest Chrysler - same mag location, head style etc, and racers starting complaining that it would render their combo's obsolete, and got it banned.
I'm not positive about all of this, as I was fairly full of beer when Greg was telling me about it. Me losing in the first round on a Saturday night is always good for the guy selling beer... :lol:
 
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